ASUU Strike: Why I Am Angry With ASUU – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has come out to tell Nigerians why he is angry with ASUU. He also made it clear in the statement that the Federal Government did not give any ultimatum to ASUU. He made it clear that the ultimatum was issued by the Committee of Vice-chancellors of Nigerian Universities.

Read the full details below:

Jonathan said: “What ASUU is doing is no longer trade union.

“I have intervened in other labour issues before now.

“Once I invite them, they respond and after the meeting they take decision and call off the strike.

“At times, we don’t even give them a long notice unlike in the case of ASUU that were given four-day notice before the meeting.

“As you are meeting to resolve trade disputes, you expect the trade unions to get their officials ready.

“What was expected having met with the highest authority in the land for long hours was for ASUU to immediately issue a statement within 12 or latest 24 hours to state their position whether they were accepting government’s offer or not.

“And if they are not accepting they state the reason why.

“But despite the fact that I had the longest meeting with ASUU in my political history, we did not start that meeting until around 2pm and the meeting ended the next day in the early hours of the morning.

“As far as the government of Nigeria was concerned, all the critical people that should be in a meeting were there.

“So what else do they want?

“After that, they didn’t meet until one week, despite the fact that you met with the highest authority.

“It was unfortunate one of them, Prof. Festus Iyayi, died.

“The way ASUU has conducted the matter shows they were extreme and when iyayi died they now said the strike was now indefinite.

“Our children have been at home for over five months.”

Former Bayelsa State Governor, DSP Alamieyeseigha, had pleaded with the President to reconsider the December 4 deadline, calling his attention to the fact that the burial of Iyayi is fixed for that date.

Responding to this, Jonathan said: “We didn’t give them ultimatum.

“It was the Committee of Vice Chancellors that took that decision.

“The supervising minister of education only passed on the decision.

“What ASUU is doing is no longer trade dispute but subversive action.

“But like you rightly noted, so that we will not be perceived to be insensitive, we will consult on the deadline.”